St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-29
NO DECISION GIVEN.
The Commission Decide to Re-
fer the Express Company
Matter to Congress.
More Legislation Asked and
Ia Some Points Should Be
Made More Clear.
Over 1000 Poor Fed by the
4 Children's Christmas Club
! Of the Capital City.
lAustralia's Wool Clip and
. Italy's Silk Crop the Larg-
81 est Ever Realized.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28.-The formal
decision of the Interstate Commerce
commission upon the question whether
the express companies are subject to
the provisions of the act to regulate
commerce, was announced to-day. The
names and organization of the various
express companies doing business in
the United States are given. some OF
them being corporations under state
charters, differing little from partner
ships, some being bureaus organized as
a branch of the railroad service, and
some combinations of several railroads
for the transaction of the gross business
of their lines. There is nothing Ill the
nature of express business which pre-
vents its being carried on by an ORDINARY
partnership, or even by an Individual,
provided the necessary contracts can be
obtained with transportation lines. The
most usual contract is one which pays
to the railroad company 40 per cent OF
the gross receipts of the express COM
panV, but various other methods OF set
Element are employed.
THE ARGUMENTS
urged by the express companies against
their being treated as subjects to the act
are considered in detail. The fact that
thew perform many other services be-
sides transportation of property. such as
the collection of debts, ETC., is not re-
garded as a reason why the act should
not be treated as applying to their busl-
ness as common carriers, since many
railroad companies also have other BUS
mess besides that of transportation.
The various sections OF the act are con-
sidered with relation to the express
TnH0rV
as applicable thereto as to the business
of railroad companies. In fact the eX-
press companies claim that they already
abide by the rules established in the
act. The requiring of annual reports
from express companies is said to be
matter concerning which the public
have a right to be informed, and con-
gress may particularly desire kn0Wl-
edge. At present little is known about
the amount of their capital stock, their
funded debt or the money invested In
their plant or business; the volume OF
their business with the expense thereon;
the rates charged and the methods upon
which the rates are constructed. line
capitalization of some of the companies
is known to be quite large, amounting
to many millions OF dollars In eacn case.
The difficulty OF framing schedules LOT
the information Of the public, Is not
found to be greater than in the case OF
railroad companies which have COM
plied with the act. Three express com
panies have so complied and their
Schedules have been placed on tle. Inc
agents of all express companies are
necessarily instructed as to the charges
to be made and the public is equally III
telligent. The bringing of express
companies within the provisions OF the
act is
FOUND TO BE PRACTICABLE
and on such acts desirable. The eX-
press companies which are simply
branches of railroads, organized and
operating through its ordinary stan OF
bv any Independent bureau, or by
combination with other railroad COM
ipanies, are found to be covered by the
provisions of the act. In the case OF
the independently organized express
companies, however, operating under
contracts for Transportation, the
language of the act, as it now stands,
is found to be so framed as
not tO.bring them distinctly within its
provisions. The words WHOLLY by
Railroad" in the first section do not
well define the business Of express COM
panies, which use very largely the serv-
ices of teams, messengers, stage-cOaches
and steamboats,. The pooling section
applies to the pooling of the business of
railroads, other sections speak of rail,
roads continually and of depots and
stations, the language not being april
cable to the business OF express COM
panies, except under small strained con-
struction. The express business was
well known at the time of the passage
of the law, and has been frequently
mentioned by name in congressional
statutes. The commission TO name 1T
here is significant. The preliminary
investigation by the interstate COM
merce committee of the senate did not
include the business of express com
panies, and was confined almost wholly
to that of railroad companies. Upon all
these considerations the commission has
thought best to refer the subject to con-
gress, as in any case of doubtful juriS-
diction, it is far better that the legisla-
tive body should resolve the doubt.